Understanding the Process of Digestion

(Assimilation and Elimination)

How is the food broken down for Absorption?

First the food needs to be broken down through:

chewing,

enzymes from the saliva

acids and enzymes in the stomach

bile from the liver (dissolving fats)

enzymes from the pancreas

Absorption:

The food then gets absorbed in the Small intestine covered by an area of 200 sq meters of villi. If these villi are clogged with ‘debris’ from refined food and/or not enough fiber, the absorption of the nutrients from the food is compromised.

Large Intestine

Over 300 different types of good bacteria (billions) break down the food so more nutrients can be absorbed.

Detoxification process

What kind of toxins?

Resulting from the metabolic process

Food additives,

Pollution

Insecticides

Pesticides

Drugs

Alcohol

Micro-organisms

Normal Elimination of Toxins:

the blood takes the toxins to the liver

bile carries them to the Gall bladder

taken out with solids left after assimilation

For the Detoxification the Liver needs nutrients,

some of them are:

Antioxidants

Vitamin B, C, E

Carotenoids

Folic Acid

Amino acids

Phytochemicals (i.e. garlic, cruciferous vegetables)

Glutathione

Re-absorption of toxins

When food doesn’t contain enough fiber it moves too slowly through the bowel and toxins get re-absorbed.

What kind of Fiber do we need for optimum Digestion?

Insoluble Fiber:

Adds bulk to the food and absorbs water

Speeds transition time

Leaves you feeling fuller

Soluble Fiber:

Acts like a sponge attaches to toxins in the bowel and so they get carried out with the remaining bulk, hence no re-absorption.

“The neuro-endocrine system (branches of the hormonal and nervous systems that work closely together) also plays an important role in digestive and overall health. Your gastrointestinal system is the most abundant source of regulatory neurotransmitters and neuro-peptides outside the brain. An example of this is the fact that serotonin, one of the brain’s chemicals that influences mood, actually has its highest concentrations in the gut.”

Gluten can interfere with absorption:

“When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system attacks the small intestine. The tiny, fingerlike protrusions (called “villi”) that line the small intestine are damaged or destroyed. The villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, regardless of the quantity of food eaten.”

“However, in an animal study published in the February 1998 edition of the “Pediatric Allergy and Immunology” journal showed, damage to villi might begin as early as three hours after exposure to a food allergen, with atrophy occurring in as few as 24 hours.”